My mom has a very dangerous dog. They live rurally, and he's bitten 3 people so badly that they've had to be taken to hospital. No one has reported the incidents because my mother has Alzheimer's. She's obsessed with the dog (which is part of the dog's problem) and everyone feels bad about being the one that has to have the dog put to sleep. However, I'm home now, and the dog is so aggressive he has to be locked away, as he would put me in hospital.
My dad is now realising my mom and he need some at home help, but they can't get it because of the dog. I'm only home for a week, and I'm trying to re-home him, but it's so unlikely that this will happen. Realistically, I need to have him euthanised.
I will do this on my own, without telling my mom, but what I'm wondering is, should we just tell her the dog ran off? Should we say someone hit the dog and it died while we were out? So difficult... I feel awful, but I really don't think there's hope for this poor hound.
I was bitten by a random, leashed dog three weeks ago and couldn’t have imagined the amount of tissue damage it caused. It is still healing. Thank God it was a nip and not a full-mouthed bite but I will have a nice round scar to remind me to keep even farther away from strange dogs.
https://a.co/d/gFpO9WR
With ALZ, its best to tell a little white lie but only if she asks. She may forget the dog, out of sight out of mind.
Make sure your Mom is not home or is distracted elsewhere when they come to get the dog. You tell your Mom a therapeutic fib about the dog: it needed to go to the vet for a check-up. If she has memory impairment, she may keep asking where the dog is and you keep telling her it's at the vet for a check-up. Then distract her or change the subject.
Yes, it will be hard for her and she will cry.
Crying is a part of living; we all have to mourn loved people and pets we cannot keep.
A vicious and dangerous dog is a KILLER. It is exceptionally negligent to keep such an animal alive. This dog should be put mercifully to sleep at once. Your local shelter will do this when you explain circumstances. Do not delay. My city has seen a woman literally torn to pieces and killed in her own hallway, as well as a boy, left home alone with two dogs, and mauled to DEATH.
SILENT, DEADLY ATTACK. See my story below.
I'm surprised you all haven't been sued. He could kill someone. The police should have been notified. After our experience (below), we realized our Rhodesian Ridgeback could have quickly and easily killed one of us. Husband is 6'3", 260 lbs. We had her for 7 months, was about 4-5 yrs old. Never seen aggression toward our cats, etc.
A large 80 lb dog we that we owned, quietly walked over to our Cocker, put his mouth on the back of dog's neck, bit and crushed everything in his neck, immediately KILLING our Cocker Spaniel. Unprovoked. Cocker was drinking water at the time in the kitchen. This was done less than 8 feet from me. I screamed. Ridgeback dragged Cocker a few feet, finished tearing out his larynx and entire throat. She smiled at me, her mouth dripping with the Cockers blood.
Why? I think she thought Cocker was being ornery (which he never was). Don't be arrogant and think you have control over dogs. You don't! BTW, the Ridgeback planned this. The day before, she came over to where I was standing in the kitchen; the Cocker was standing next to me. The R opened her mouth over the Cockers neck as though R was 'measuring' it. Strange. I had no idea that measuring was a precursor to the brutal killing of the 30 lb sweet Cocker.
We took Ridgeback to vet who agreed wholeheartedly, on putting the dog down. No one would ever be safe around dog. No one = children, animals, adults. I believe that Ridgeback didn't know she had done anything wrong. Doesn't change the potential.... BTW, she slept with my husband every night while he watched TV; cuddled up next to him. She could have quietly torn out his neck....anytime.
Story is meant to wake YOU up.